Rise of the Blood Royal dobas-3

by Robert Newcomb

  Each of the sacred songbirds was pure white, like the gowns and veils of the Priory maidens. The maidens tended the birds carefully, always ready for the day when thePon Q’tar would notify them that another auspicium was needed. Like thePon Q’tar clerics, the birds had been granted time enchantments, and they were thousands of years old. These same ten birds had been used in every auspicium ever conducted.

  As Julia waited for Vespasian to summon her, her heart pounded. This would be the most important auspicium of her life-perhaps the most important in all of Rustannican history. As Vespasian turned her way, she felt the weight of his gaze.

  “You may begin,” he said simply.

  Julia rose from her seat and walked toward the far wall. Save for the soft cooing of the birds, the Rustica was bathed in silence. After stopping before the birds, Julia pointed in their direction. At once the tethers binding the birds’ feet to the golden rail vanished. Even so, the birds knew better than to fly away until their mistress willed it. Julia raised her arms and closed her eyes.

  After the Femiculi recited the sacred chant, the birds would be free. They would wing their way home to the Rotunda and enter the building through the oculus. If they turned north first, the decree was favorable. If they turned south before flying for home, the decree dictated ill fortune. Julia took a deep breath and bowed her head.

  “O sacred flame of the Vagaries, grant us the wisdom to receive this auspicium, and to be guided by its decree,” she said. “Allow your divine magic to drive the sacred birds skyward to show your servants which path is best. We ask for your guidance in the upcoming campaign. In your name we offer our thanks and our continued servitude.”

  With that, Julia opened her eyes and raised her arms higher. Among a quick flurry of white wings, the birds took to the sky.

  For several tense moments the birds circled overhead, giving no inkling of their decree. Then suddenly, as though of a single mind, they wheeled around to soar in one direction before finally turning toward the Rotunda. Vespasian held his breath as the birds chose their path.

  They flew due north. With every person’s gaze trained on the birds, no one saw that Gracchus had narrowed his eyes slightly.

  The Suffragat erupted into cheering. Letting go a deep sigh of relief, Vespasian looked at Persephone. She gave him a reassuring smile. Then tears started forming in her eyes as she hoped that when they said goodbye to one another it would not be for the last time.

  For Vespasian the moment was bittersweet. As he watched Persephone’s eyes well up he made a silent pact with himself that he would treat each remaining moment with her as though it were their last. He then looked at Lucius. Already eager to be in the field, the beaming First Tribune gave his emperor a rapacious wink.

  And so it was that the campaign to take the Shashidan gold fields had been officially ratified and could be put into motion. It would take time to assemble the needed troops and materiel. Even so, nothing could stop the attack now.

  Persephone came to join her husband and he escorted her from the Rustica. By custom, each time an auspicium decree was favorable, a great banquet was served in the royal palace to celebrate the joyous event. Tonight would be no exception, and Vespasian was looking forward to it.

  As the Suffragat left the courtyard, twoPon Q’tar clerics remained behind. Gracchus looked up at the sky and he smiled. Aegaea Mithridates, one of Gracchus’ most trustedPon Q’tar confidants, came to stand beside him. She had a pleasant face and flowing gray hair. As if she could again see the sacred birds winging home, she too looked to the sky.

  Only hours ago Gracchus had informed thePon Q’tar of the Oraculum’s complete vision. Unlike Vespasian, Persephone, the Priory, and the Tribunes, nothing that the lead cleric had told thePon Q’tar during today’s Aedifficium session had come as a surprise. As had been so often the case over the centuries, once again their playacting had been flawless.

  “And so you have succeeded once more, Gracchus,” Aegaea said.

  “Don’t I always?” he asked in return.

  Taking her gaze from the sky, Aegaea looked the lead cleric in the eyes. “Tell me,” she asked, “had you not intervened, which way do you believe that the birds would have flown?”

  Gracchus looked at her. “We’ll never know,” he answered. “Nor does it matter. All that matters now is that we have our war.”

  “And what is to keep theJin’Sai from crossing the Azure Sea?” she asked.

  Gracchus smiled. “I will address that issue shortly, my dear,” he answered. “Do not fret. Tonight our only concern is to enjoy our emperor’s renowned hospitality.”

  As Gracchus escorted Aegaea from the courtyard, the late afternoon sun slipped down behind the Rustica’s western wall.

  Robert Newcomb

  Rise of the Blood Royal

  II

  TERROR AND MAGIC

  CHAPTER XIII

  Although revenge will taste sweet, it is not so much for myself that I do this thing as for my lost beloved.

  - KHRISTOS

  WIPING THE SWEAT FROM HIS BROW, TRISTAN TOOK Abreak from his labors and reached down to grasp a nearby stone jug. He raised the vessel to his lips and drank greedily of the cool water before pouring some onto his head. Smiling, he ran the fingers of one hand back through his salt-and-pepper hair, then tossed the jug to Ox.

  Ox caught the jug between his huge palms and drained its remaining contents in a single draught. After letting go a wet belch, he wiped his mouth with the back of one hand and dropped the jug to the ground.

  “Not good as akulee, but Ox thankJin’Sai, ” the huge warrior said. “The day be hot, but work almost done. Then ships can come.” Tristan responded with a smile.

  It was midafternoon on the third day following Tyranny’s return to Tammerland. The sky was hot and bright. As he stood amid the great hustle and bustle, Tristan shook his head, thinking. So much had happened in such a short time that he hardly knew what to make of it all. He wasn’t alone in his confusion, for every Conclave member felt the same.

  His mystics had been secluded in the Redoubt for the last two days, trying to unravel the strange mysteries that had recently appeared. So far they had sent no word about their findings. To dispel his nervous energy, Tristan had come to help the Minion workers and engineers with the massive project that he had assigned to them several months ago. He was glad that the job was nearly done.

  TheJin’Sai took another deep breath. Raising his sledge high, he brought it down squarely against an iron spike that would help seat another of the great laminated timbers into place. Hundreds of Minion workers were also pounding away in various areas on the same project. After driving six more spikes home, Tristan again stopped to catch his breath.

  The huge construction area was a beehive of activity, with hundreds of male and female Minion warriors working tirelessly toward one goal. Tristan had selected a spacious field just outside the palace walls as the permanent resting place for the Black Ship fleet. Of all the Conclave mystics, only Jessamay was here to apply the craft when needed. Tristan wanted the fleet returned home as soon as possible, for his heart told him that he would soon need them.

  He had seen the horrific creature and the impaled corpses that Tyranny brought back, and their surprising existence caused him great concern. He realized that many such wicked beasts would have been needed to commit the thousands of grisly atrocities that Tyranny found at Birmingham. Despite Tristan’s earlier hopes that the Vagaries had been vanquished east of the Tolenkas, another strange threat from the craft’s dark side had somehow risen. Every fiber of his being told him that the danger needed to be dealt with quickly.

  Moreover, the Conclave’s confirmation of subtle matter and learning that Shashida could be reached by crossing the Azure Sea had been astounding. But Tristan had absolutely no idea how to accomplish such a daunting task. Ships would be needed to cross that strange sea, and in the depths of the caves there were no raw materials from which to build them. Nor did Tristan dar
e order his warriors to try to cross the sea by air, for he knew nothing about the distance involved.

  Tristan shook his head again. Only three days ago he had been dead certain that he should leave for the Caves straightaway. But with the grisly impalements and the coming of the man-serpents, his next course of action became unclear. As was often the case, his mystics’ advice would figure prominently in his decision.

  Even so, he had ordered that Minion phalanxes start flying over Eutracia to search out the deadly monsters. He knew that it would be akin to finding a thimble in a sneezeweed stack, as Abbey was so fond of saying, but he had to try. Because the Conclave still knew so little about the beasts, even if they were found, he had ordered that the warriors were to take no action unless citizens were again being threatened. It chafed at theJin’Sai to give his troops such cautious instructions. Not leading them himself chafed even more. But other matters commanded his duty now.

  Placing one palm above his eyes to shield them from the blazing sun, he again looked out over the huge construction site. Three of the massive cradles were finished and the fourth was nearly so. Because so many warriors had been freed after building the first three, the final cradle was swiftly nearing its completion.

  The cradles’ frameworks were shaped exactly like the Black Ships’ hulls, only larger, so that the vessels could fit into them. Great laminated timbers that formed the cradles’ spines lay on huge stone foundations so that the cradles wouldn’t shift in the soft earth. The cradles pointed east, ensuring that when the ships lay in them, their bows would face into the prevailing wind coming off the Sea of Whispers. Each massive spine measured just over one hundred meters long and curved skyward for fifty meters at each end. Huge timber braces curved away from the spines at regular intervals and also rose upward for fifty meters. Buttresses made of more stout wood stood angled against the braces, their opposite ends shoved deeply into the earth for support.

  Wigg had searched high and low for the original Black Ship plans, and he had finally found them buried among the countless other documents that had been scattered about in the Archives of the Redoubt. With the plans at their disposal, Jessamay and the Minion engineers could ensure a perfect fit when the four Black Ships finally came home to roost. The aft ends of the cradles were left open so that the huge stern doors of the ships could be easily lowered for the loading and unloading of supplies, weapons, and troops.

  Tristan would be greatly relieved to have the vessels stationed so near to the palace rather than moored at the Cavalon Delta. With the ships constantly supplied and their Minion crews and acolyte pilots always at the ready, the ships could be ordered airborne at a moment’s notice. Tristan had read Tyranny’s sea trials report and he had accepted her suggestion about permanently assigning the four Minion phalanxes to Black Ship duty. He had also told the acolytes Astrid, Phoebe, and Claire that they were to be the ships’ permanent pilots. But Tristan believed that Sister Adrian was too valuable to be assigned to the flagshipTammerland on a permanent basis. When Adrian returned with the fleet he would order her to select and train another acolyte in her place.

  Tristan laid down his sledge and turned to look at Ox. “I’ve had enough of pounding these spikes for a while,” he said. “Shall we go and see how Jessamay is doing?”

  The giant warrior smiled. If ordered by Tristan, he would gladly swing his heavy sledge until his heart gave out. He gave hisJin’Sai a wide grin.

  “Ox glad to quit,” he said. Reaching down, he retrieved Tristan’s weapons from the ground and handed them to him. As Tristan strapped his sword and throwing knives into place, Ox looked around the construction site.

  “Minions do well here,” he said. “Me hopeJin’Sai be proud.”

  Tristan smiled and laid one hand atop the warrior’s shoulder. Ox had saved his life more than once, and there were few souls in the world that he trusted more.

  “Since entering my service that fateful day in Parthalon, the Minions have always given me pride,” he answered, “and sometimes you above all.”

  As though Tristan had just given Ox the keys to the kingdom, the warrior puffed his chest out with pride. Without further ado the pair started over to where Jessamay was working.

  Cutting the thousands of trees needed to build the ships’ cradles had been a daunting enough task. But carefully heating and bending the massive, freshly laminated braces so that they would exactly conform to the Black Ships’ hulls was another matter entirely. Tristan knew that given enough time, the Minion warriors could probably have done the job. But he wanted ships home soon, so he had decided to speed the process via the craft. Intrigued by the challenge, Jessamay had eagerly volunteered. For the last three months she had done little else but toil on the massive cradles.

  The Vigors sorceress stood about thirty meters away, occasionally waving her arms and shouting out orders to the warrior engineers assigned to help her. With her long blond hair tied behind her back and dressed as she was in leather trousers, scuffed knee boots, and a simple white linen peasant’s blouse, she looked more like a Eutracian commoner than a valued member of the Conclave. Tristan smiled as he approached. Jessamay was many things, but commonplace wasn’t one of them.

  The warrioress Duvessa was standing by Jessamay’s side and barking out orders with equal verve. As Minion Premier Healer and the leader of the cadres of female combat warriors, she commanded great respect. Traax’s wife was an attractive Minion with green eyes. As it was today, her black hair was often tied into twisted braids. A pair of crossed feathers was embroidered into the breastplate of her leather armor. The white feather showed her rank as Premier Healer, and the red one signified her command of the female warriors who participated in combat.

  A crude worktable stood before the two women, its top strewn with parchments and diagrams. A stout canvas lay stretched atop wooden poles, shielding the women and the ancient documents from the sun. As Tristan and Ox gratefully took advantage of the shade, the women looked up.

  “How is it coming?” Tristan asked.

  “We’re nearly done,” Jessamay answered. “There’s just one more brace to shape and install.” She raised her arm and pointed toward the construction site.

  Tristan looked out from the shade to see several dozen horses being led their way by Minion warriors. Taken from the palace stables, the thirty-six steeds were harnessed in pairs to a huge, flat cart that had been built solely for moving the massive uprights. Despite the powerful horses, the cart and its odd-looking load neared with agonizing slowness. Realizing that this last brace measured a good fifty meters long and another ten meters around, Tristan couldn’t begin to imagine how much the thing weighed.

  As the sweating horses finally pulled the cart to a stop, Jessamay scooped up one of the parchments from the table and went to inspect this last brace. Tristan, Ox, and Duvessa followed.

  Like its brothers, the brace was a wondrous example of Minion craftsmanship. The warriors had selected Eutracian oak because of its great strength and high resistance to inclement weather. The massive brace was actually a series of smaller and thinner oak slats that had been carefully cut to size, then glued together. Just now the brace was as straight as an arrow, but that would soon change.

  Jessamay spent much time looking at the brace, then consulting her diagram, then looking back at the brace again. She then produced a long measuring string from her trousers and used it to confirm her findings. Finally satisfied, she nodded and returned the string to her pocket.

  “It’ll do,” she said simply.

  Tristan smiled as he anticipated the next part of the process. He had seen Jessamay do this several times before, and each time it had amazed him. Because of the great length and thickness of the laminated braces, even Jessamay could only bend them a little at a time. This brace would be no exception.

  The Vigors sorceress ordered the Minions to unharness the horses and lead them away; then she asked that Ox, Tristan, and Duvessa come and stand behind her. As the three spectators
moved into place, Jessamay raised her arms.

  At once the far end of the massive brace started to glow. As the azure hue intensified, Jessamay concentrated harder. Soon the near end of the beam began to curve, and hissing steam rose from it to disappear high into the air. When the sorceress was satisfied, she dropped her arms and the azure hue vanished. Taking up her parchment and her string again, she went to check on the first stage of what would be a long and arduous process.

  For the next two hours she fussed, measured, and employed the craft to repeatedly force the length of the beam into the proper shape. The curve had to be just right, lest the last cradle become misaligned and cause its Black Ship to sit crookedly. Worse yet, if one beam was misshapen, the others might not be able to withstand the added strain, causing the entire cradle to collapse.

  Once the beam cooled, she would order the Minions to ferry it to the last cradle. The warriors would then use great cranes and pulleys to lift it into place and immediately buttress it with side shores. They would then pound spikes into it to join it to the spine, just as Tristan and Ox had been doing. Finally the hundreds of needed crossbraces would be added to strengthen the cradle and to hold the entire framework together.

  Glad to be done with her work, Jessamay walked tiredly back to the makeshift shelter. Taking a bottle of claret and several wooden cups from a nearby picnic basket, she placed them on the worktable. By the time the others joined her, all four cups were filled.

  Raising her cup, Jessamay watched the others follow suit. She then looked out at the four massive cradles sitting side by side on their stone foundations. Lined up that way, they took up a huge area. Once the Black Ships lay in them, the sight would be even more impressive. Proud to have been a part of this effort, she returned her attention to the others.